Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2599533 Toxicology Letters 2012 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

The widely used food additive carrageenan (CGN) has been shown to induce intestinal inflammation, ulcerative colitis-like symptoms, or neoplasm in the gut epithelia in animal models, which are also clinical features of human inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, the effects of CGN on pro-inflammatory transcription factors NF-κB and early growth response gene 1 product (EGR-1) were evaluated in terms of human intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Both pro-inflammatory transcription factors were elevated by CGN and only NF-κB activation was shown to be involved in the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8. Moreover, the integrity of the in vitro epithelial monolayer under the CGN insult was maintained by both activated pro-inflammatory transcription factors NF-κB and EGR-1. Suppression of NF-κB or EGR-1 aggravated barrier disruption by CGN, which was associated with the reduced gene expression of tight junction component zonula occludens 1 and its irregular localization in the epithelial monolayer.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Epithelial exposure to CGN triggers pro-inflammatory NF-κB and EGR-1. ► NF-κB and EGR-1 were critical in maintaining the epithelial integrity against CGN. ► Barrier disruption was due to decreased ZO-1 expression via NF-κB and EGR-1.

Related Topics
Life Sciences Environmental Science Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
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